“Definitely a frustrating way to lose a ball game that we were in control of a couple of different times,” said coach Jeremy Digiovanni. “While we shot the ball well for much of the night, our defense was not up to par and ultimately cost us the game in the end.”

Rogers led 33-24 at halftime, and 53-45 with five minutes left after an 8-0 run including 3’s by Loughlin and Edstrom.

Big Lake caught up 60-60 on Audette’s 3-pointer with 1:10 left. Rogers missed its chance for a go-ahead layup with a traveling violation with 40 seconds left. On the other end, they didn’t allow Big Lake to launch a shot until the last second and it bounced off the front rim.

In overtime the Royals managed only two free shots by Motter that tied the score 62-62. Nordberg quickly scored to regain the lead for Big Lake.

Down 65-62, Rogers tossed up three 3-point attempts in the final 7 seconds. The first missed and the next two were blocked.

“Big Lake deserves credit for their comeback as they kept attacking the lane and had us on our heels at times,” said Digiovanni. “They’ve got a nice team that put a pressure on a defense in a variety of ways.”
Jordan Motter concentrated while sinking two free shots in overtime. (Photo by Bruce Strand)

That gave Rogers an 0-2 week, following a 60-43 loss to first-place Buffalo on Tuesday. The Royals are 2-3 in the Mississippi 8 and 7-6 overall.